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Food is a drug. Say it with me, "food is a drug." I had a very profound discussion on the beach today with on of our fitness retreat clients. She was telling me about her father, a man in his late 70s who weighs in at around 340 lbs. He is Canadian but is "stuck" in Florida due to his ailing health. In short, he can not move enough to get on a plane and return to Canada. Shocked and sad were the emotions that I felt as she was telling me this story. We began discussing his daily routine, his health and exercise history over the last 10 years and his eating habits. This is a man who has been big most of his life. He has not always been as heavy as he is now but he has generally been a bigger man, genetically predisposed to carry extra weight. She wanted to talk about the "root" of the problem and that's when I chimed in. Is the true problem here that this man doesn't work out? Sure, that's part of it but it's not as significant as the other issue. The true problem is that he is missing 85% of this health/wellness equation - and that is the ability to control what goes in his mouth. Food is his addiction just like alcohol is to an alcoholic. Would workouts help? The answer is maybe. The truth is that unless he is able to get control of his eating habits, his obesity condition will roar on. It will conquer him and it will win. First and foremost, my heart goes out to this family. After working 13+ years in the fitness industry, I "get it". It's about food, life, love, mood swings, addictions, happiness and much more! In this particular case, it's about food. Here is a man who is a grandfather 6 times over. He is a father to three and a husband to one. He currently has no major medical issues other than obesity. Are you surprised? It's true. His medical issue is obesity. I'm saying this to point out that he does not battle cancer or other ailments. He is so heavy and has not moved regularly in so long that he does not have the strength to walk over to the toilet. The sad truth is, he is not sure if he wants to live or die. He has had the discussion with his daughter. He feels so horrible with all of this extra weight that he truly can not answer that question. He is a man that for the last 15 years has been at least 140 pounds overweight. He has reached the point where he can not remember what it actually felt like to feel good. I can't imagine that feeling but I feel horrible that this man, let alone anyone out there feels that way. This is a man that loves his grilled cheese, chocolate pudding, pizza, pies, cakes, etc. So I brought up the topic that food is a drug. I explained that years and years ago, food was our energy source, a survival mechanism. Today, it is an industry - a big industry at that! As we get older, we socialize over food and drink. We ask our close friends over for dinner or drinks or have a neighborhood cook out. Food is status, class, an art form and most of all it actually tastes good. We crave food. Our brains and bodies long for more of that deep dish double-decker pizza or that fine portabella risotto perfectly paired with a smooth, yet robust cabernet. We are addicted to the chemical reaction that takes place when we eat food. It's something that our brain, in terms of evolution, still may not be used to. Refined sugars, chemically injected foods and hormones have altered how we react to the food we take in. Food is an addiction. Say it with me again, "food is an addiction." It runs parallel to many other addictions. It can and has taken over people's lives. I encourage all of you to take a hard look at your eating habits, how you center your life around food and how important it is to you. Is it your addiction? If so, you need to seek help and address your food issues now. Weight and health can be changed and you have the power to change yourself or those around you.
Margot Rutigliano is the owner of Vita Vie Retreat. She has been a fitness trainer, wellness coach and healthy living adviser since 1999. Vita Vie Retreat is a fitness retreat offering healthy lifestyle transformation programs for men and women of all ages and fitness levels. For more information or to contact Ms. Rutigliano, please visit http://www.bvretreat.com.
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